Spinach Dal

Ingredients:
spinach - half bunch
toor dal - 1 cup
green chillies - 12
tamrind about the size of lime
turmeric 4 pinches
cumin seeds half tsp
salt
For Seasoning:
1 small onion chopped
2 strings of curry leaves
2 dry red chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 cloves of garlic mashed
3 tbsp of oil
Soak tamrind in warm water and squeeze out the pulp.

Cook toor dal, green chillies, turmeric, cumin and spinach (palakura) with sufficient amount of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. After the cooker is cooled off,mash the dal with a wooden spatula adding tamrind pulp and salt in it.

Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard, cumin, curry leaves, mashed garlic cloves, red chillies and chopped onion. Fry till the onions turn light brown in color. Add the seasoning to Spinach Dal (Palakura Pappu) and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice with a dollop of desi ghee.